Check out this article to learn about the Underdog.io platform so you can understand if it will help you with your job search.
Updated in 2023
- What does Underdog.io do?
- Who is Underdog.io for?
- What does Underdog.io cost?
- Underdog.io reviews and ratings
- Alternatives to Underdog.io
- How does Underdog.io compare to Pathrise?
What does Underdog.io do?
Underdog.io is a venture-backed startup that connects job-seekers with hiring startups. While they focus on companies San Francisco and New York City, they also help candidates find roles at remote friendly companies.
At the moment, Underdog.io groups candidates into three expertise categories: technical, product, and business. Technical candidates are engineers (backend, frontend, fullstack, data, QA, DevOps, hardware, and more). Product candidates are product designers and product managers. Business candidates cover a broad range of roles (sales, marketing, business development, operations, finance, human resources, legal, and more).
Candidates apply to join a batch by filling out a form that asks for demographic information, online profile links (like LinkedIn and GitHub), and a resume. Underdog.io also asks candindates to choose their area of expertise, ideal roles, years of experience, skills, and job type preference (full-time, contract, or internship).
Only a small percentage of candidates who sign up for Underdog.io make it into a candidate batch–each candidate usually only gets to participate in one batch. Companies reach out to batch candidates directly and take them through their normal hiring process. That means that most candidates who sign up for Underdog.io are never put in front of the companies in their marketplace. According to their site, Underdog.io only responds to candidates who are selected for batches. Technical and product candidates who are selected usually hear back within 7-10 days. For business candidates, the timeline can be longer.
Who is Underdog.io for?
Candidates with technical background and a fair amount of experience may be the best fit—Underdog.io only selects candidates with the strongest technical backgrounds for their batches. Based on their timing, it seems like Underdog.io has more success placing people in technical and product roles, rather than business. According to their FAQ, they recommend their service for people seeking full-time jobs and for job seekers who do not require sponsorship.
What does Underdog.io cost? How much work is involved?
For candidates, Underdog.io is free. Companies pay Underdog.io to work with them.
The application is fairly straightforward – it acts as the application for all of the companies, so it includes demographic and experience-based questions as well as interest and skill questions so they can see if you are a good fit for their open roles. As mentioned above, a small percentage of applicants actually move forward to meet the companies in the Underdog.io marketplace, so the majority fill out the application and then never hear back.
Underdog.io reviews and ratings
Despite being around for 5 years, there are no reviews online of Underdog.io from candidates in their batches. It might have something to do with how long it takes to scale a company like this as they have just opened up their San Francisco marketplace.
Alternatives to Underdog.io
- For candidates looking to be matched with companies based on their skills, Hired could be a good fit. Candidates apply to join this popular job marketplace and then companies, who work directly with Hired, “apply to them.” Hired works with candidates looking for roles in tech.
- Software engineers can also check out Triplebyte, which is also a marketplace that connects strong candidates with hiring companies. The main difference is that Triplebyte does their own technical interviewing, so once the candidate passes, they move straight to onsite interviews with the companies. Learn more about Triplebyte in our review.
- Like Underdog.io, Whitetruffle matches job seekers with tech companies to help people land their dream job. Users create a profile and get paired with tech companies for job interviews, saving job seekers time searching job boards or sending cold emails.
- Job -seekers who would like to work with a career agent can check out Free Agency. Although the program is completely remote and largely self-paced, they offer 24/7 support. Their talent has been placed at top tech companies like Facebook and Amazon.
- Aspiring startup workers can check out the career accelerator Praxis. The full 1-year program is helps young land an entry-level job at a startup in marketing, ops, sales, or customer success.
- The online interview resources Pramp and Gainlo both pair aspiring software engineers with peers or engineers for mock interviews.
- Similarly, aspiring software engineers seeking mock interview opportunities can check out Interviewing.io. The platform pairs users with FAANG engineers for mock interviews and extensive feedback. Find out if Interviewing.io is right for your career goals in our review.
How does Underdog.io compare to Pathrise?
Underdog.io is a marketplace for candidates with a strong technical background. If you make it into a selected batch, it probably means that you already have a strong profile and good experience. They do not provide any help or training and if you make it into a batch. Underdog.io is free for the candidate, so those in the batches can only be matched with companies who subscribe to their service.
Pathrise is a full service organization, working with candidates through all stages of the job search to enhance their soft skills and develop strategies that can help them in the future. Specifically, Pathrise works with candidates on strengthening their resumes, preparing for technical and behavioral interviews as well as negotiation tactics for offers. We represent the candidates, which means that we can help connect them with any and all companies, not just those in a specific marketplace.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. With our tips and guidance, we’ve seen our fellows interview performance scores double.
If you want to work with any of our mentors 1-on-1 to optimize your job search, become a Pathrise fellow.
Apply today.
